A HOMELESS man came to the rescue when a diner was turned away from a restaurant because he was wearing sandals.

Akbar Badshah, from Queensbury, was supposed to be celebrating his wife’s birthday – and also breaking his fast on the first day of Ramadan.

Mr Badshah and wife Rozmin had booked a table at upmarket Brazilian restaurant Fazenda in Manchester city centre for the special meal.

But Mr Badshah, a 36-year-old optician, says he was wrong-footed when staff explained he couldn’t get in wearing his black plastic open-toed shoes. Thankfully help was at hand in the shape of homeless man John, who was sitting with his labrador in a street near the restaurant.

When Mr Badshah enquired if he could borrow his shoes, John handed them over without hesitation – and even refused to take any money in return for the gesture.

John’s generous actions meant the couple were able to enjoy their meal as planned.

Mr Badshah said: “We left the restaurant and I got chatting to this homeless fellow John on Deansgate.

“I said, ‘John what size are you?’ and he said ‘14’. I’m a size nine so it’s a good job it wasn’t the other way round!

“He said, ‘you won’t believe this, but I’ve got a brand new pair of shoes from an outreach project’, and he said I could borrow them, so we swapped shoes.”

After finishing their meal at Fazenda, Mr and Mrs Badshah went back to see John to say thanks, and return the shoes.

He tried to offer John £10 as a way of saying thank you, but he refused, saying he was happy to help him.

It took several attempts to hand over the money, after Mr Badshah reiterated how thankful he was.

“He wouldn’t take it. I said ‘please, please I want to give it to you," he added.

It seems karma was on the homeless man’s side, as right at that moment a man in his fifties walked past and, after hearing their conversation, stroked John’s labrador and handed him another £50 note.

“John couldn’t believe it. It was unbelievable karma. He kept saying he didn’t want anything in return.

"I gave John a hug and we took some photos together – we just felt so touched by what he had done.”